"Stepping out of the Boat"

What if Peter hadn't gotten out of the boat?

Most of us are familiar with the story in Matthew 14:22-33, where the disciples are out in a boat and they drift away from shore. They see Jesus walking on the water towards them. Peter gets out of the boat, and walks on the water towards Jesus until just before being rescued by Jesus, he loses his confidence and begins to sink.

A sermon I heard recently asked the question "What if Peter hadn't gotten out of the boat?"

That would surely have changed the story! Without Jesus being the rescuer, centuries of Christian would have been deprived of the expectation that they would be rescued if they only kept their eyes on Jesus. Similarly followers or disciples of Jesus would not have been left with the example that the best kind of discipleship is that which includes taking risks or chances. Actually without Peter taking that risk, for whatever reason he did, there is no story worth remembering!

What intrigued me about this question though is how it applies to my life. We are all presented with opportunities that entail risks. Sometimes we are willing to take those risks, but more offer ‘saner’ heads prevail and we elect to take the ‘safer' option. Do we quit a well paying job for one that isn't as secure but that fits in better with our values? How do we spend our yearly vacation time: getting some well-deserved relaxation ‘away from it all’ or volunteering on a daily basis at a food bank?

I know that the things in my life that I remember, the things that have changed me, made me more confident, are not the times I have stayed in the boat afraid to venture out on the water. But are rather those times when despite my fears, my lack of confidence, my feeling of not being prepared, of not being the right person, I have still gotten out of the boat secure in the feeling that those around me (probably) would not let me sink! And that of course is the other side of the story told in Matthew and in our own lives. We need the support and encouragement of others to accept the challenges that life sends our way.

Have you been challenged to step out of the boat lately?

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